A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c24.71

v1.c24.71

The subjects are: the advantages of treatment with a caustic, which is the best among the śastras and anuśastras (30.1–2);⁴³⁷ indications for the internal and external use of a caustic (30.3–4ab);⁴³⁸ contra-indications (30.4cd–8ab);⁴³⁹ the preparation of a caustic of moderate strength (30.8cd–20a);⁴⁴⁰ the preparation of a mild and a strong caustic (30.20b–22ab);⁴⁴¹ indications for these three types of caustic (30.22cd–23);⁴⁴² the ten qualities of a caustic;⁴⁴³ a caustic acts like a sharp instrument and like fire; various actions of a caustic (30.24–26); general rules for the application (30.27–28a);⁴⁴⁴ rules for particular diseases (30.28b–30); after-treatment (30.31–34ab);⁴⁴⁵ signs indicating proper, deficient and excessive treatment with a caustic (30.34cd–37);⁴⁴⁶ the treatment to be employed after excessive application (30.38–39);⁴⁴⁷ the harmful effects of a caustic administered by a bad physician and its beneficial effects when applied properly (additional verse);⁴⁴⁸ cauterization (agni) is even superior to the treatment with a caustic (30.40);⁴⁴⁹ indications for cauterization and the materials to be used in particular diseases (30.41–44a);⁴⁵⁰ contra-indications (30.44b–d);⁴⁵¹ the coating and paste to be applied after cauterization (30.45ab);⁴⁵² signs indicating proper cauterization (30.45cd–46ab);⁴⁵³ accidental burns (pramādadagdha) produce the same symptoms as improper and excessive cauterization; the signs characteristic of tucchadagdha,⁴⁵⁴ durdagdha (improper burning) and atidagdha (excessive burning) (30.46cd–49ab);⁴⁵⁵ the treatment of tucchadagdha, durdagdha, samyagdagdha and atidagdha (30.49cd–52ab);⁴⁵⁶ the treatment of burns by hot fatty substances (snehadagdha) (30.52cd).⁴⁵⁷